


in the misty moonlight (by the flickering firelight)

by jessicawhitly



Series: nothing gold can stay [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 09:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20872034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessicawhitly/pseuds/jessicawhitly
Summary: The lakeside cabin had been Will’s suggestion.





	in the misty moonlight (by the flickering firelight)

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from In The Misty Moonlight by Dean Martin! Also don't ask me why I'm so attached to the Byers fam moving to Kentucky after s3...I just am.

The lakeside cabin had been Will’s suggestion.

It was one of the last nice weekends in October- the last golden leaves clinging to the trees, the weather cool but not brittle, and the skies still clear. Joyce and Hopper had each taken Friday off, pulled the kids from school (much to their delight), and driven to the lake, arriving midday. They’d all needed a break; Pembroke, Kentucky wasn’t Hawkins, and Hopper found himself considerably busier as their police chief than he’d ever been in Indiana in the year since his return, while Joyce’s decision to go back to school while working in a nursing home led to her being home less than she was used to. Will and El were sophomores now, and both busy in their own way- El had taken to basketball like a fish in water, much to everyone’s surprise, while Will had joined the school’s AV Club.

So when Will had suggested the cabin- after confessing he, Jonathan and El had looked at it as an anniversary gift for Joyce and Hopper for the following spring, nearly causing Joyce to start crying on the spot in their kitchen- Hopper had immediately sprung into action. He’d rented the cabin, gotten the weekend off- even pre-written the kids’ notes for school, much to Joyce’s amusement.

They’d hiked, they’d fished- or rather, Hopper had taught Will to fish while Joyce and El had gone back to the cabin, they’d played more hands of Go Fish than they could count when it had rained Friday afternoon. Will and Joyce had cooked breakfast Saturday morning while Hopper and El slept in, and then Joyce and Hopper taken a walk around the lake together while the kids continued work on some new D&D campaign that Mike had tasked them with last time they’d visited Hawkins.

Hopper had gotten a fire going once the sun had set, and Will and El had set upon the s’mores supplies nearly instantly. Joyce watches- and tries not to wince- as both kids pile way too much sugar and chocolate on their graham crackers, the mess melting all over their fingers, while she merely snuggled into Hopper’s side. He made one s’more that they split, as well as one could split melted marshmallow and melted chocolate, before settling back and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

The moon reflects off the lake, full and bright, and the weather is cool but not cold- Will and El share a blanket between the two of them, while Hopper’s body heat is enough to keep Joyce warm as she cuddles into his side, head resting on his broad chest. Will balances the boom box on an empty chair, an old mix tape of Jonathan’s playing- it’s an old Stones song, and Hopper’s chest rumbles against her ear as he hums along lowly.

The kids wish them goodnight relatively early- it had been a busy day and they’d hiked a decently long trail that morning, though, and their eyes had started drooping sometime around the second marshmallow. Will’s quiet _Goodnight Mom and Hop_ is followed by El’s soft _Night Dad and Mama_, and Joyce watches them trail off to the cabin, waiting for the lights to flicker on before she fully relaxes back into Hopper’s side, his fingers trailing along her bicep.

The wooden loveseat they’re on is big enough that Joyce can comfortably swing her leg over Hopper’s lap until she’s settled in his lap, hands sliding up his chest until they can stroke lightly over the beard he’s growing in, coarse and more gray than blonde.

“You sure the kids are actually asleep?” he asks, voice low and rumbling in his chest, though his hands cup her hips and hold her against him.

“That hike should make them crash pretty hard,” she answers, pressing her chest to his as her arms loop around his neck, lessening the space between them until she could rub her nose against his. “I thought Will was going to pass out before he could even finish toasting his marshmallows.”

Hopper chuckles at that, hands massaging Joyce’s hips, and hums, head sinking back. The red of the fire turns her hair nearly auburn, and he lifts one hand to follow the flickers of light along her skin- skimming along her jawbone before falling to her collarbones, exposed by the unbuttoned flannel shirt she wore. With a light tug, he had another few buttons undone, allowing him a delightful glimpse of the lacy, peach-colored bra she had on.

“This is new,” he observes, and Joyce’s smile is closer to a smirk, cheeks flushing in a way that warms Hopper’s chest with more than just arousal. Eight months of this, and he still can’t get enough of her- of the way she bit her lip and tucked her hair behind her ears when she was just a little bit nervous or excited; the way she sighed into the kiss when he pulled her closer, twining one hand in her hair.

“This _was_ supposed to be an almost-anniversary trip,” she tells him when they part, breathless and flushed, her lips kiss-swollen and red. She shrugs, shirt falling even lower, and it’s not really his fault that his gaze drops to all the pale, soft skin on display. She leans in closer, her next words tickling his ear. “It’s a matching set.”

His groan is low, and he tugs her closer as he catches her laughter with his mouth.


End file.
